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Thursday, January 07, 2010

One more update from Aaron! (Home tomorrow!!)

Sorry for not writing for a while; we have been on some adventurous outings, sometimes not returning until late and there have been computer issues at the lodge where we have been staying.

My first subject for this post is driving in Kenya. Potholes. Big ones, small ones, medium ones. They are everywhere and almost all the time. You almost never have the luxury of driving in a straight line in Kenya. You are either dodging the myriads of potholes or cows, or donkeys, or motorcycles, people, dogs, bicycles, tractors, trucks, or you name it. About the only driving rule there is here is that bigger vehicles can go up to 80km per hour and small ones can go 100km per hour. I have felt like I have been riding an old wooden roller-coaster for 9 days.

Transportation of anything here is a challenge. I cannot imagine what the vehicle maintenance costs would be if you were to live here. For my steel co-horts, we have seen flat-bed trucks with 3 coils (about 120,000 lbs), so you can see how the roads do not last.

Through all of this cross country travel we have visited schools, orphanages, churches, widows, carpentry shops, hospitals, clinics, and private homes. We are always given the honored guest status wherever we go. It is amazing to watch the spirit of the people here. I have gotten sick to my stomach thinking that we are eating a feast prepared by our guests when there are so many hungry just a few feet outside.

The eyes and smiles of the people are penetrating; I am sure it is something I will never forget. The people everywhere we go ask when we can return and ask if we can stay longer.On of the highlights of the week was worshiping with about 100 people on Sunday. They cut the service short after 3 hours due to our need to visit another group in the afternoon. I am thankful that Jesus Christ is being preached here. I shared that although the miles between us are many we both serve the same God.

This part of Africa is very colonial and everyday is like stepping back in time....until from the middle of a cow dung-mud hut a Kenyan pulls out his cell phone to answer a call.

Goodreads Update

Nobody is doing Young Adult Fiction better than Jeff Zentner right now. Older teens will appreciate how he captures conflicting emotions and tumultuous relationships while keeping a great sense of humor.

It took me FOREVER to finish this. I almost abandoned it, but picked it up over Spring Break. It's difficult to read because this is a childhood that we'd rather not know about.
The second half of the book is most fascinating to me as h...